The Kenosha County Department of Public Works is continuing to study alternatives for an expansion of County Trunk Highway S in the Village and Town of Somers.
Engineers are evaluating alternatives for converting the two-lane road into a four-lane, divided highway with bicycle accommodations, improved safety and drainage, and a shared-use path along one side of the roadway.
Construction is tentatively scheduled for 2020.
“With new business developments coming online in recent years – including Amazon, Uline and First Park 94 – Highway S has become a critical artery into the city from I-94,” County Executive Jim Kreuser said. “This expansion is an important project that will help to ensure Kenosha County is ready for future waves economic development.”
A preferred alternative for reconstructing Highway S (38th Street/Burlington Road) from Highway H (88th Avenue) to Brumback Boulevard, the project’s initial study limits, has not yet been approved. Due to increasing traffic volumes along the Highway S corridor, the project boundaries may now be extended to also include expansion of the road between Highway H and the Interstate 94 East Frontage Road (120th Avenue).
Kenosha County is coordinating with the City of Kenosha regarding its potential lengthening of a runway at the nearby Kenosha Regional Airport. The project team is reviewing alternatives that meet the needs of the potential runway expansion, as well as the Highway S improvements. Coordination with a number of federal and state agencies, including the Federal Aviation Administration, has slowed the process of selecting a preferred alternative.
“More details about road improvements and right-of-way acquisition will be made available to the public once a preferred alternative is determined,” said Clement Abongwa, director of the Kenosha County Division of Highways.
A public involvement meeting will be scheduled, tentatively in fall 2017, to present the project status, including the final project limits, and to gather input from residents.
Those with questions about the project or knowledge about related historical or archeological resources, drainage problems or environmental issues such as hazardous waste and underground storage tanks, are asked to contact John Elkin, project manager for R.A. Smith National, at 262-317-3312 or john.elkin@rasmithnational.com, or Ron Schildt, Kenosha County transportation engineer, at 262-857-1860 or ronald.schildt@kenoshacounty.org.
Those interested in receiving future communications about the project are encouraged to send an email to Schildt.
A map displaying the project area is here: http://www.kenoshacounty.org/DocumentCenter/View/6956